Russian Navy ships were spotted by European security officials on Monday and Tuesday near the area where the Nord Stream pipelines are leaking. The sighting comes as a fourth leak has been discovered, Sweden’s coast guard said Thursday.
The leaks, likely caused by underwater explosions, have been described by NATO’s chief and several European leaders as “acts of sabotage.” The Kremlin said claims it targeted the pipelines are “absurd.”
Russia’s annexation ploy: What’s the endgame for the Russian-backed referendums held in occupied parts of Ukraine? The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin will annex the four territories in a ceremony tomorrow — a move the US and NATO have vowed never to recognize. For a deeper look at the implications, check out this analysis.
A mass exodus from Russia: Moscow’s “partial mobilization” order sparked tens of thousands of Russian citizens to flee the country, leaving neighboring countries with an influx of newcomers. Finland announced it will close its borders to Russian tourists Friday and a Georgian official said the nation may need to rethink its immigration policy. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded in a statement Thursday that “the mistakes” made during the current mobilization order be rectified. He said there were a lot of questions from the population on this issue, and that “if a mistake is made, then I repeat, it needs to be corrected. Return home those who were called up without a proper reason.”
Ukrainian forces press the advantage in Donetsk: Video and images obtained by CNN show Ukraine’s military in control of rural areas in the eastern Donetsk region. Troops have surrounded the contested town of Lyman, a railroad hub that’s been held by pro-Russian forces since May.
Concerns surrounding the Zaporizhzhia plant: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi reiterated Thursday his “deep concern” about the repeated occurrence of landmine explosions near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It comes after the area experienced frequent shelling in the past few months. IAEA experts present at the plant were informed Thursday “about two more landmine explosions outside the plant perimeter fence, bringing the total to five this week,” IAEA said in a statement.
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Zelensky urges Russians to stop Putin, saying he's "the one person in Russia who wants war more than life"
From CNN's Tim Lister and Denis Lapin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the Russian people Thursday to stop President Vladimir Putin from waging war.
“The cost of one person in Russia wanting to continue this war will be that all Russian society will be left without a normal economy, without a decent life, and without respect for any human values,” Zelensky said in his daily address.
Zelensky again dismissed the attempted annexation of four Russian-occupied regions of the country. “Russia will not get new territory in Ukraine,” he said.
And the Ukrainian president shared a message specifically for Russia’s indigenous peoples.
“During the first week of criminal mobilization, more men fled from Russia than the Russian authorities were officially going to send to war,” Zelensky said.
“Dagestanis do not have to die in Ukraine. Chechens, Ingush, Ossetians, Circassians and any other peoples who came under the Russian flag. In total, almost 200 different peoples. … You know who sends them to Ukraine.”
Some context: Zelensky’s appeal to indigenous groups comes after warnings from activists in Russia that ethnic minorities are being disproportionately mobilized.
CNN has geolocated videos of men leaving for war in Russia’s Far East regions.
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Putin demands that "the mistakes" made during the mobilization be rectified
From CNN's Tim Lister, Uliana Pavlova and Josh Pennington
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that “the mistakes” made during the current partial mobilization be rectified.
The decree declaring partial mobilization —signed by Putin on Sept. 21 — stipulated that reserve servicemen with previous military experience and men with professional experience required by the military, would be called up. A total of 300,000 men are eligible to be called up, according to the decree.
Putin said there were a lot of questions from the population on this issue and it was necessary to investigate every single case of wrongful mobilization and to return people to their places of origin in case of errors.
The process has been criticized by commentators on Russian state television and prompted an exodus of citizens fleeing the country and protests in several parts of Russia, especially in Dagestan and the Russian Far East. Protestors have accused the Russian military of drafting students, fathers and men whose age should exempt them from service.
“For example, fathers of multiple children or people suffering from chronic diseases or those who are already beyond the age of military service. It is necessary to consider each such case separately. And if a mistake is made, then I repeat, it needs to be corrected. Return home those who were called up without a proper reason,” he continued.
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Video obtained by CNN shows Ukrainian forces closing in on pro-Russian forces in a pocket of Donetsk
From Victoria Butenko and Tim Lister
Video and images obtained by CNN show Ukrainian forces in control of rural areas of Donetsk around the contested town of Lyman, which is still held by a variety of pro-Russian militia.
Ukrainian tanks are seen advancing in the area amid the ruins of heavily damaged villages. The roads are littered with what appear to have been hastily abandoned Russian dugouts, with rockets and ammunition left behind. There’s also evidence of Russian and militia tanks and military vehicles destroyed or damaged.
Some of the abandoned equipment is around the villages of Zelena Dolyna, north of Lyman — which CNN reported Wednesday was in the hands of Ukrainian forces — and the neighboring village of Lypnove.
In several of the videos, a loudspeaker announcement can be heard, which CNN has translated as saying:
Earlier Thursday, it was clear that resistance was continuing from pro-Russian units in Lyman, although they now appear to be surrounded on three sides. One pro-Russian official described the situation in Lyman as “difficult.”
The collapse of Russian defenses in and around Lyman would enable the Ukrainians to focus on targets further east, inside Luhansk region.
Luhansk is one of four areas that are expected to be claimed as annexed by Russia in the next few days after referendums about whether the regions should join the Russian Federation. The referendums and the annexation plans have been widely condemned by the international community.
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Italy's embassy in Moscow advises Italian nationals to consider whether to leave Russia
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
The Italian embassy in Moscow has advised Italian nationals to consider whether to leave Russia, in a statement issued Thursday.
The advice comes in light of “the most recent developments in the international environment and the increasing difficulty in air and road connections out of Russia.”
“In particular, there is a dramatic increase in the already high cost of tickets sold by airlines these days, and there are reports of long queues at some border crossings connecting the Russian Federation with some neighboring countries,” it said.
“In view of the continued closure of airspace to flights from the Russian Federation ordered by the European Union last Feb. 27, all compatriots present in Russia are strongly advised to plan as far in advance as possible for travel abroad. Those who need to leave the Russian Federation are urged to obtain tickets available from commercial airlines as soon as possible,” it continued.
The embassy also recommended to postpone all travel to the Russian Federation.
Earlier this week, the US Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert that again urged US citizens to leave Russia immediately while there are still options for departing the country.
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Turkish president urges Putin to give negotiations with Ukraine another chance
From CNN's Tim Lister, Josh Pennington and Hande Atay Alam
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have spoken by phone, with Erdogan appealing to the Russian leader to give negotiations another chance to end the conflict, according to the Turkish presidency.
Erdogan said that in order to de-escalate tensions, “steps — particularly as regards the incorporation of various Ukrainian areas into Russia —are expected of Moscow in a bid to facilitate the process,” according the presidency.
The Turkish statement did not criticize the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions into Russia, which is expected to be formalized on Friday in Moscow. Western governments dismiss the process as a “sham.”
In an interview Wednesday, Erdogan said: “Of course Zelensky wants our support on these four regions, and he wants us to meet with Mr. Putin and discuss the issue. Let’s see what happens.”
Here’s how Russia described the meeting: The Kremlin said Putin briefed the Turkish President on “the results of the referendums on the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions on joining the Russian Federation.”
According to the Kremlin, “it was stressed that the voting took place in a transparent manner, in full compliance with the norms and principles of international law.”
That characterization stands in direct contrast to the international outcry meeting the referendums, which NATO, the EU and US officials have all dismissed as illegitimate.
The Kremlin said Putin also mentioned what it called the “unprecedented sabotage” of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
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Official: Georgia faces a moral dilemma as tens of thousands of Russians cross the border
From CNN's Elizabeth Wells
Georgia may have to reconsider its policy of allowing Russian citizens to enter the country on humanitarian grounds if the number of people increases drastically, a Georgian official told CNN Thursday.
Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson, Georgia’s Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Nikoloz Samkharadze said the border issue poses “a moral dilemma for us.”
Upwards of 60,000 Russian citizens have entered the country over the past week, according to Samkharadze, who said that “at least 40% of them” are ethnic Georgians who had Russian citizenship, and “now are coming back and they are rejoining their families or relatives.”
He said his country of 3.7 million people was already dealing with the strain of displaced people from elsewhere in the world, including 250,000 from the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, 30,000 Ukrainians and 15,000 Belarusians.
Why Russians are leaving home: President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization announcement for the war in Ukraine sparked protests and an exodus of Russian citizens as the Kremlin tightened rules around evading military orders.
The number of Russians fleeing the country to avoid call-up “likely exceeds” the number of troops that invaded Ukraine in February, the UK Ministry of Defense said Thursday.
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Blinken reiterates US will never recognize Ukrainian land annexed by Russia
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks to the press at the State Department in Washington DC, on Tuesday.
(Photo by Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement on Thursday called Russia’s so-called referendums in occupied-parts of Ukraine “a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab.”
He reiterated that “the United States does not, and will never, recognize the legitimacy or outcome of these sham referenda or Russia’s purported annexation of Ukrainian territory.”
“The United States and our allies and partners will continue to assist Ukraine in its fight to defend its territory against Russian aggression,” Blinken added.
“We wholeheartedly support Ukraine’s unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,” he said.
On Tuesday, Blinken made clear that Ukraine would be able to use weapons provided by the United States to regain its territory, including in the regions that are expected to annexed by Russia Friday.
“I’ve also been equally clear that Ukraine has the absolute right to defend itself throughout its territory, including to take back the territory that has been illegally seized in one way or another by Russia,” he said in response to a question from CNN’s Kylie Atwood at a news conference Tuesday.
“Because there is no change at all in the territory that is being annexed by the Russians as a matter for us or for the Ukrainians, the Ukrainians will continue to do what they need to do to get back the land that has been taken from them. We will continue to support them in that effort,” Blinken said at the news conference.
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UN nuclear watchdog chief voices "deep concern" over new landmine explosions near Zaporizhzhia plant
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi reiterated Thursday his “deep concern” about the repeated occurrence of landmine explosions near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
It comes after the area experienced frequent shelling in the past few months.
IAEA experts present at the plant were informed Thursday “about two more landmine explosions outside the plant perimeter fence, bringing the total to five this week,” IAEA said in a statement.
One explosion occurred Wednesday afternoon “in the area of a channel transporting water to the plant for its cooling system, which is essential for nuclear safety. It did not cause any damage,” IAEA said.
The second explosion “took place at 1pm today some 500 metres from reactor unit 1. There was no major damage, but further investigations will be conducted.”
“As the previous three landmine explosions reported by the IAEA this week, they were believed to have been caused by animals,” it added.
Separately, Grossi said that the IAEA is organizing the third assistance shipment of equipment to Ukraine this week “as part of efforts to help ensure nuclear safety & security during the current conflict.”
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EU energy commissioner calls for price cap on Russian gas
From CNN’s Eve Brennan and Chris Liakos
The EU’s Energy Commissioner has called for a price cap on Russian gas exports to the EU Thursday.
“Europe is facing energy blackmail by Russia, and global demand for gas is higher than supply,” she said, calling Russia’s unreliability as a partner “the origin of the problem.”
“We are negotiating with our reliable suppliers of pipeline gas. If this doesn’t bring results, then a price cap is possible,” Simson added, saying that “these steps will reduce the cost of gas imports.”
The commissioner’s comments come a day before EU energy ministers meet in Brussels to address high energy prices. According to the commission, the leaks of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea will also be discussed.
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Biden declines to say whether he blames Russia for Nord Stream gas leaks
From CNN's Sam Fossum
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks inside Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters, where he received a briefing on the impact of Hurricane Ian, in Washington DC, on Thursday.
(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Asked directly if he blames Russia for this week’s Nord Stream pipeline gas leaks, US President Joe Biden declined to comment Thursday.
“Let’s stick with this, okay?” Biden said when asked by a reporter if he held Russia responsible for the damage.
Pressed by reporters on the matter, Biden continued: “There’s a lot of important international issues, but we’re here to talk about America. Thank you.”
Officials are still investigating the leaks: US officials say they do not have a thorough explanation yet for what happened, days after the explosions appeared to cause three separate and simultaneous leaks in the two pipelines Monday.
The leaks have been described by NATO’s chief and several European leaders as “acts of sabotage.”
The Kremlin has said any claims it targeted the pipelines are “absurd” and spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday the “unprecedented nature” of the leaks suggests they may have been the result of a possible “terrorist attack.”
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Putin calls on former Soviet states to consolidate against the West
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
At a meeting of former Soviet states Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on leaders to help him create a “more just world order” and claimed the West was inciting conflicts on their territory.
Putin directed his comments to the heads of intelligence agencies for what’s known as the Commonwealth of Independent States, which comprises nine former Soviet republics.
“We are witnessing a difficult process of forming a more just world order,” Putin said.
“We also know that the West is working out scenarios for inciting new conflicts in the CIS space. But we already have enough of them. It is enough to look at what is happening now between Russia and Ukraine, what is happening on the borders of some other CIS countries.”
Putin urged other member states to cooperate with Russian intelligence services and security agencies.
Nine countries make up the Commonwealth of Independent States – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
More background: Putin and other prominent Russian leaders have repeatedly framed the invasion of Ukraine as part of a broader struggle to maintain freedom from Western power and resist “Russophobic” foes.
In four occupied regions of Ukraine, analysts believe Putin will use Russia-backed referendums — held in violation of international law — to frame the fighting as the defense of his nation’s own territory, rather than an invasion.
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Experts may have recorded a third blast connected to the Nord Stream gas leaks, geological agency says
From CNN’s Arnaud Siad and Chris Liakos
Seismologists with a Danish geological agency may have recorded a third explosion connected to the Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks this week, officials said.
The blast may have occurred at the same time as the second explosion recorded Monday, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) said in a statement Thursday.
GEUS cautioned its seismologists had “reservations” about the analysis, “because the signals from the potential third blast may also be reflections from the second blast that occurred at 07.03 PM on 26 September.”
The agency said further study could produce more knowledge.
Earlier this week, GEUS announced that it recorded “shaking” twice Monday in the Baltic Sea. Experts said the signals recorded “do not resemble signals from earthquakes” but “resemble the signals typically recorded from blasts.”
The Swedish National Seismic Network also said it detected two explosions near the area of the Nord Stream pipelines during that timeframe.
Some context: NATO’s chief and several European leaders have described the leaks as “acts of sabotage,” but Western officials have stopped short of attributing the attack to Russia or any nation.
European security officials observed Russian navy ships in the vicinity of leaks Monday and Tuesday, according to Western intelligence officials and one other source.
The Kremlin has said any claims it targeted the pipelines are “absurd” and spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday the “unprecedented nature” of the leaks suggests they may have been the result of a possible “terrorist attack.”
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More than 200,000 people have left Russia since Putin's mobilization announcement, collective data shows
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite, Anna Chernova, Eve Brennan and Radina Gigova
Russian citizens entering Georgia at the Kazbegi border, on Wednesday.
More than 200,000 people have traveled from Russia into Georgia, Kazakhstan and the EU since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens on Sept. 21, collective data from various countries shows.
Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:
Approximately 100,000 Russians have crossed into Kazakhstan in the last week, Marat Kozheyev, Kazakh deputy minister of internal affairs, said Wednesday, according to Kazinform, a state-owned news agency.
At least 53,136 people have crossed the Georgian-Russian border between Sept. 21-26, data released by Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs Tuesday shows.
Nearly 66,000 Russian citizens have entered the European Union over the past week (Sept. 19-25) — a more than 30% increase in comparison to the past week, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex said Tuesday.
This information does not include data from Mongolia and Armenia, where Russian citizens have also traveled in the past days. Official data from Russia has not been publicly available on how many Russian citizens have left the country since Sept. 21.
More on Putin’s order: Russia’s mobilization announcement for its war in Ukraine sparked protests and an exodus of Russian citizens from the country, as the Kremlin tightened rules around evading military orders. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Sept. 21 that up to 300,000 men with previous military experience will be drafted.
The number of Russians fleeing country to avoid call-up “likely exceeds” the number of troops that invaded Ukraine in February, the UK Ministry of Defense said Thursday.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday he does not know the number of people who have left the country since the announcement. Independent Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe on Tuesday cited a source in the Russian presidential administration as saying the FSB (Federal Security Service of Russia) reported 261,000 men fled Russia since the announcement of the mobilization on Sept. 21.
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Analysis: Why Putin wants to annex Ukrainian territory
Analysis by CNN's Tim Lister
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual press conference on December 23, in Moscow, Russia
(Natalya Zamboska/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
President Vladimir Putin is set to sign agreements Friday that will absorb into Russia thousands of square miles of Ukrainian territory in what will be the largest forcible annexation of land in Europe since 1945.
The agreements will be signed at a ceremony at the Kremlin, three days after hastily-conducted referendums concluded in the four areas of Ukraine that Moscow will now consider Russian territory.
Putin will deliver a speech and meet with Russian-backed leaders of the four occupied regions, according to the Kremlin.
Ukraine and its western allies have categorically rejected the planned annexation of the four regions – Donetsk, Luhansk and much of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, a swathe of Ukrainian land that contains heavy industry, rich farmland and a critical freshwater conduit for Crimea.
Donetsk and Luhansk are home to two breakaway republics that Moscow has backed since 2014, while Kherson and parts of Zaporizhzhia have been controlled by Russian forces since shortly after the invasion began in late February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asserted that if the Kremlin presses ahead with annexation, any negotiation with Putin will be impossible.
In all, Russia plans to raise its flag over some 100,000 square kilometers (38,600 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in what is a flagrant breach of international law and after votes dismissed by the great majority of countries, including some friends of Russia like Serbia, as null and void.
While the international community will reject Russia’s plan almost in unison (expect a few outliers like Syria and North Korea), annexation does change the “facts on the ground” and diminishes the prospects for any negotiated settlement.
There’s a huge difference between withdrawing from occupied land (as the Russians did in April when they pulled back from much of northern Ukraine) and giving up areas that has been formally and ceremonially absorbed into the motherland – especially for a leader like Putin who is fixated with a “greater Russia.”
Ukrainian forces are closing in on an occupied railroad hub in Donetsk, Russian-backed official says
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
Rail infrastructure on fire after a shelling near the Lyman station in Lyman, eastern Ukraine, on April 28.
(Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces continue to press closer to the occupied town of Lyman in the eastern Donetsk region, according to a Russian-backed leader there.
The railroad hub fell to Russian forces and their allied militia at the end of May, but the situation has grown “difficult” for the forces trying to hold the territory, said Alexander Petrikin, the pro-Russian head of the city administration.
Ukrainian forces have made gains to the south, west and north of Lyman — with just one road to the east still under control of the pro-Russian groups.
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EU readies new sanctions as Russia’s parliament plans to consider annexation of occupied Ukrainian regions
From CNN’s Jo Shelley in London and Anna Chernova
Russia’s two houses of parliament — the State Duma and Federation Council — will consider the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories next week, as EU readies additional sanctions in retaliation for the plan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a ceremony on Friday where agreements for Russia to take over four Ukrainian territories will be signed, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday. The ceremony will start a legislative process in Moscow to annex Russian-occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - a move that would be illegal under international law.
Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will meet on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, its chairman, Vyacheslav Volodin, said according to RIA Novosti. The state news agency cited Volodin as saying that the State Duma’s schedule had been adjusted so the deputies could make legislative decisions based on the supposed results of the polls.
The Federation Council, Russia’s upper house, will consider the annexation of the occupied Ukrainian territories on Oct. 4, Andrey Klishas, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation, said in a Telegram post on Thursday.
Remember: The declared annexation comes after so-called referendums on Ukrainian territory on joining Russia — votes that were not observed by independent monitors and have been widely condemned by western governments as a “sham.”
The EU proposed a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, targeting “those involved in Russia occupation and illegal annexation of areas of Ukraine,” including “the proxy Russian authorities in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and other Russian individuals who organized and facilitated the sham referenda in these four occupied territories of Ukraine.”
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"Nobody knows what’s coming next": CNN speaks with Russians trying to cross the border amid draft fears
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio, Melissa Bell, Mark Esplin and Ekaterine Kadagishvili
Travellers walking on the road from Verkhni Lars customs checkpoint between Georgia and Russia on September 28, in Zemo Larsi, Georgia.
(Daro Sulakauri/Getty Images)
With one bag in each hand and another on his back, Denis made his way up a hill on foot after crossing the border from Russia into Georgia.
“I’m just tired. That’s the only thing I feel,” the 27-year-old said as he tried to catch his breath.
Denis had just spent six days on the road, most of them just waiting in line to cross the border. He is one of the hundreds of thousands of Russians enduring a grueling marathon journey to leave their country.
Though women and children are among those crossing, most are fighting-age men who fear the possibility that they will be drafted to fight the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, at least 10,000 have been coming through the Lars border crossing daily.
Denis, who did not want to reveal his last name, said he chose to leave because of the uncertainty following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement last week of a “partial mobilization” of citizens – despite his earlier emphasis that the military assault would only be fought by military professionals. Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said the military will conscript around 300,000 men with previous military experience, to go and fight in Ukraine.
Though the current draft should not apply to him, Denis fears that could change.
“How do I know what will happen in three years’ time? How do I know how long this will take?” he said.
His feeling is shared by many crossing the border into Georgia. They are teachers, doctors, taxi drivers, lawyers and builders – ordinary Russians who have no appetite for war. And although they say they don’t agree with the government, they believe there’s nothing they can do to force Putin to change course.
They’ve chosen instead to leave their homeland, despite the perilous journey. Denis said he spent days in his car without sufficient access to food and restrooms.
“When you’re there waiting, there is no toilet. You can’t get much to eat because everything is instantly sold out and nobody packed much food either because nobody expected it to take this long,” he said.
Another man CNN spoke to walked for 20 kilometers (12 miles) to get to Georgia, also fueled by concern that the draft might expand.
“It doesn’t apply to me today, but it may apply tomorrow,” the man said, speaking to CNN on the condition that he remain anonymous, because he fears Moscow’s far-reaching hand.
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If Western nations are dismissing the referendums, why is Russia annexing occupied Ukrainian territories?
From CNN's Nic Robertson and Jack Bantock
Russia's President Vladimir Putin reviews naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking the Russian Navy Day, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 31.
Illegal “votes” mean the polls are contrary to international law, yet there are concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the annexation as a way to frame the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive as an attack on Russia itself and escalate the war.
According to former US ambassador Kurt Volker, Putin will use the annexation to maneuver Russia’s future, more aggressive, strategy as one of self-defense.
Though US officials have not seen indications Russia is planning to use nuclear weapons in the near term, they are more concerned about the possibility now than they were six or seven months ago, one official confirmed to CNN this week.
Volker himself is skeptical nuclear weapons would ever be used, given the “devastating” consequences the Russian military would face in response.
Russia never expected the occupied territories referendum to be accepted by the global community, according to the director general of the Russian International Affairs Council.
Andrey Kortunov believes that, given the similar international response to the Crimea referendum in 2014, Moscow is instead looking inwards to generate a positive response from the Russian population and validate their continuation of the conflict.
“Even closest partners and allies of Russia were hesitant to recognize the change of the legal status of Crimea,” Kortunov told CNN.
“But I can imagine that in the Kremlin, they count on the patriotic feelings of the Russian population, and they believe that this acceptance of new regions into the Russian Federation would help the leadership to maintain a high approval rating, and also to make the society accept the costs associated with the special military operation.”
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Russia will annex 4 occupied Ukrainian regions at ceremony on Friday, Putin spokesperson says
From CNN's Anna Chernova
The Kremlin will host a ceremony on Friday at which agreements will be signed on the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories to the Russian Federation, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson told reporters on Thursday.
Dmitry Peskov said the ceremony would take place on Friday at 3 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET).
Putin will deliver a speech and meet with Russian-backed leaders of the four occupied regions on the sidelines of the ceremony, he added.
Separatist leaders from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics all traveled to Moscow following the announcement of poll results.
The four territories, which together make up around 18% of Ukraine’s territory, recently held Moscow-backed “referendums” on joining Russia. These have been widely condemned by Western leaders as a “sham.”
Billboards proclaiming “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!” and giant video screens have been set up on Red Square, according to Reuters on Thursday.
Members of the lower house of the Russian parliament have also received invitations to Friday’s ceremony at the Kremlin, state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing a post by Denis Parfyonov, a Communist Party deputy, on his Telegram channel.
A man casts his ballot during a referendum in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on September 27.
(AP)
Some context: “Votes” for referendums on joining Russia, held in the four occupied areas from Friday to Tuesday, are contrary to international law and have been universally dismissed as “a sham” by Ukraine and Western nations, including US President Joe Biden.
Counts cited in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia ranged from 87.05% approval to claims of nearly universal verdicts, yet such figures stand in stark contrast to reality. According to a CNN poll of Ukrainians in February, just before Russia’s invasion, no region in the country had more than one in five people supporting Ukrainian unification with Russia.
CNN’s Jo Shelley contributed reporting to this post.
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Finland will close borders to Russian tourists amid record crossings since partial mobilization order
From Jorge Engels and Allegra Goodwin
People entering Finland queue at the passport control area at the border checkpoint crossing in Vaalimaa, Finland, on the border with the Russian Federation on September 29.
(Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images)
Finland will close its borders to Russian tourists from Friday midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) until further notice amid a record number of Russians crossing into the country following Moscow’s partial mobilization order, the government confirmed Thursday.
Since then, there has been an exodus of citizens fleeing the country and thousands of Russians have entered neighboring Finland.
“The resolution aims to stop tourism and related transit from Russia altogether. It will drastically limit the capacity to receive visa applications in Russia,” the ministry added.
“The resolution will not prevent travelling when it is deemed necessary for humanitarian reasons, for national interests or for meeting Finland’s international obligations.”
Some context: The announcement comes after Helsinki announced Wednesday it would “significantly” restrict the right of Russian tourists to enter the country or as transit when travelling to other parts of the Schengen area.
Finland’s border guard also said Wednesday that more than 50,000 Russians have entered Finland via the land border since September 21.
Last weekend also saw a record number of Russians entering Finland via its land border, with 16,886 Russians arriving in total over Saturday and Sunday, according to the border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty.
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Nord Stream pipeline damage likely caused by "deliberate" acts of sabotage, says North Atlantic Council
From CNN's Eve Brennan
Information gathered on the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea suggest “the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage,” the North Atlantic Council said Thursday.
Damage to the pipelines is of “deep concern,” the council said in a statement.
More context: Earlier Thursday, Germany’s ambassador to the UK said there was a “very strong indication” the pipeline leaks were acts of sabotage. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also labelled the leaks “apparent sabotage” in a tweet Tuesday.
European security officials observed Russian navy ships in the vicinity of leaks on Monday and Tuesday, according to Western intelligence officials and one other source. Senior Western officials have stopped short of attributing the attack to Russia or any nation.
What the Kremlin is saying: A Russian government spokesperson said Thursday that the leaks may have been the result of a “terrorist attack.”
“The unprecedented nature of this event, it seems that this is a terrorist attack, possibly at the state level,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a daily call with journalists.
Asked about CNN’s report on Russian submarines seen in the area of the Nord Stream disruptions, Peskov said: “This is the Baltic sea. There were far more aircraft, floating and other marine vehicles that belong to NATO countries seen there.”
CNN’s Anna Chernova, Allegra Goodwin and Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.
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Fourth leak in Nord Stream confirmed by Swedish coast guard
From CNN's Jorge Engels
A gas leak causes bubbles to rise to the surface of the sea in Sweden, on Thursday.
A fourth leak in the Nord Stream pipelines was confirmed by Sweden’s coast guard on Thursday.
“There are currently two gas leaks in Swedish waters, a larger leak above North Stream 1, and a smaller leak above North Stream 2. Two leaks have also been reported in Danish waters,” Sweden’s coast guard said in a statement.
The coast guard added that one of its vessels near the pair of leaks in its home seas was reporting a “constant flow” of gas to the surface.
The confirmation comes after Germany’s ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said earlier Thursday that a fourth leak had been discovered.
The leaks in Swedish waters are approximately 1.8 kilometers (1 nautical mile or 1.1 miles) apart, with the distance from the smaller Swedish leak to the closest Danish leak being 4.6 kilometers (2.6 nautical miles), the coast guard said.
The statement concluded by specifying that the coast guard’s vessel is in possession of a remotely operated vehicle but not a submarine, which the Swedish Coast Guard said it neither owns nor operates.
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Pro-Russian separatist leaders involved in illegal referendums across Ukraine arrive in Moscow
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
Separatist leaders from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics visit Moscow, Russia, on September 29.
(Kirill Stremousov)
Some of the separatist leaders involved in carrying out sham referendums to secede from Ukraine and join Russia landed in Moscow Thursday, according to a photograph posted by Kirill Stremousov, the Russia-appointed deputy head of the Kherson regional military administration.
The votes – which are illegal under international law – were carried out in the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
The votes mirror the playbook used during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, sparking fears they could become a false pretext for the Kremlin to illegally claim more territory in Ukraine and escalate its war effort.
Some context: On Wednesday, with all “votes” counted, Kremlin-backed authorities in the four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine predictably claimed that residents had overwhelmingly agreed to become part of Russia.
The UK Ministry of Defense has said that “there is a realistic possibility” that Putin will use his address to Russia’s parliament on Friday to “formally announce the accession of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously indicated that if the regions announced majorities in favor of joining Russia, the ratification process would be fast and they could become part of the Russian Federation “quite soon.”
Asked if that would mean any attempt by Ukraine to regain the territories would be regarded as an attack on Russian territory, Peskov said: “Of course.”
Fourth leak in Nord Stream found, "strong indication" of sabotage: Germany’s ambassador to UK
From Jorge Engels
Unused pipes for the Nord Stream 2 Baltic gas pipeline are stored on the site of the Port of Mukran, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, on September 27.
(Stefan Sauer/picture alliance/Getty Images)
Germany’s ambassador to the United Kingdom on Thursday said a fourth leak had been discovered in the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to Germany and that there was a “very strong indication” these were acts of sabotage.
“It didn’t happen just like that. We think that there is a very, very strong indication these were acts of sabotage,” Miguel Berger, Germany’s ambassador to the UK, told BBC Radio 4 on Thursday.
“We have two gas leakages in Danish and two in Swedish economic exclusive zones,” Berger added.
CNN has reached out to Sweden’s coast guard but did not immediately receive a reply.
Berger said Sweden and Denmark would lead the investigation into the leaks but that results were likely to take up to 10 days because gas is still escaping from the pipelines.
Berger said that in Germany’s view, “everything indicated” the leaks were not the product of natural causes and that a non-state actor could not have caused this damage.
He did not blame Russia for the leaks but said it was too early to rule anything out.
Some context: Swedish authorities sounded the alarm on Tuesday about leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines – both of which run under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark, and have been major flashpoints in the energy war between Europe and Russia.
Neither pipeline was in operation at the time the leaks were found, but both still contained gas under pressure.
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One child and at least two others dead, five injured in Russian missile strikes on Dnipro: Ukrainian official
From CNN’s Olga Voitovych
At least three people died – including a child – in missile strikes on the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine early Thursday, according to the head of the regional military administration Valentyn Reznichenko.
The strikes damaged “60 houses and several high-rise buildings,” leaving a handful of residences “completely destroyed,” he added.
CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
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European security officials observed Russian Navy ships near Nord Stream pipelines leaks
From CNN's Katie Bo Lillis, Kylie Atwood and Natasha Bertrand
A large disturbance in the sea observed off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm on September 27.
(Danish Defence Command/AP)
European security officials on Monday and Tuesday observed Russian Navy ships in the vicinity of leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines likely caused by underwater explosions, according to Western intelligence officials and one other source.
It’s unclear whether the ships had anything to do with those explosions, these sources and others said – but it’s one of the many factors that investigators will be looking into.
Russian submarines were also observed not far from those areas last week, one of the intelligence officials said.
Three US officials said that the United States has no thorough explanation yet for what happened, days after the explosions that caused three separate and simultaneous leaks in the two pipelines on Monday.
Russian ships routinely operate in the area, according to one Danish military official, who emphasized that the presence of the ships doesn’t necessarily indicate that Russia caused the damage.
But the sightings still cast further suspicion on Russia, which has drawn the most attention from both European and US officials as the only actor in the region believed to have both the capability and motivation to deliberately damage the pipelines.
US officials declined to comment on the intelligence about the ships on Wednesday.
The prime ministers of both Denmark and Sweden said on Tuesday that the leaks were likely the result of deliberate actions, not accidents, and Sweden’s security service said in a statement Wednesday that it cannot be ruled out “that a foreign power is behind it.”
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday evening also called the leaks “apparent sabotage” in a tweet.
But senior Western officials have so far stopped short of attributing the attack to Russia or any other nation.
The Kremlin has publicly denied striking the pipelines. A spokesman called the allegation “predictably stupid and absurd.”
CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on the presence of the ships.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Alex Marquardt contributed reporting.
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Russia is the leading suspect in Nord Stream leaks investigation, US officials say
From CNN's Katie Bo Lillis, Kylie Atwood and Natasha Bertrand
Denmark and Sweden are investigating the leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines, but a site inspection has yet to be done and details on exactly what caused the explosions remain sketchy.
One European official said that there is a Danish government assessment underway and it could take up to two weeks for an investigation to properly begin because the pressure in the pipes makes it difficult to approach the site of the leaks. However, another source said the probe could begin as soon as Sunday.
The Danish government is taking the lead on the investigation and has put in place an exclusion area of five nautical miles and a one kilometer no-fly-zone, according to European sources familiar with the matter.
US officials have been far more circumspect than their European counterparts in drawing conclusions about the leaks.
But a senior US official and a US military official both said Russia is still the leading suspect – assuming that the European assessment of deliberate sabotage is borne out – because there are no other plausible suspects with the ability and will to carry out the operation.
Russia has requested a UN Security Council meeting on the damaged pipeline this week – something the senior US official said is also suspicious. Typically, the official said, Russia isn’t organized enough to move so quickly, suggesting that the maneuver was pre-planned.
If Russia did deliberately cause the explosions, it would be effectively sabotaging its own pipelines: Russian state company Gazprom is the majority shareholder in Nord Stream 1 and the sole owner of Nord Stream 2.
But officials familiar with the latest intelligence say that Moscow would likely view such a step as worth the price if it helped raise the costs of supporting Ukraine for Europe.
US and Western intelligence officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is gambling that as electricity costs rise and winter approaches, European publics could turn against the Western strategy of isolating Russia economically.
Sabotaging the pipelines could “show what Russia is capable of,” one US official said.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Alex Marquardt contributed reporting.
Former Premier League soccer player Diniyar Bilyaletdinov summoned to fight for Russian military
From CNN's Homero DeLaFuente
Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, center, celebrates after scoring a goal on April 9, 2011.
(Rui Vieira/PA Images/Getty Images)
Former Premier League soccer star Diniyar Bilyaletdinov has received a summons from Russia’s military registration and enlistment office, his father, Rinat Bilyaletdinov, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Bilyaletdinov, who made 59 appearances for English club Everton, is a Russian national and member of the country’s Tatar ethnic minority group.
“Diniyar really received a summons. It’s hard to talk about emotions, because he didn’t serve, although he did military service, but it was specific, with a sports bias. That was 19 years ago,” the player’s father said.
Rinat Bilyaletdinov argued that his son was incorrectly summoned as he is older than the cutoff age.
Some background: Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens, in an effort to bolster the Kremlin’s faltering invasion, following Ukraine’s gains in an ongoing counteroffensive.
As part of the mobilization efforts, Russia will call up 300,000 reservists, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Putin moved to amend the country’s Criminal Code over the weekend and strengthen punishments relating to military service during times of mobilization, martial law or wartime, with Russians who fail to report for duty now facing up to 10 years in prison under the new regulations.
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov joined Everton in 2009 and played with the English Premier League side for three seasons. He played 46 matches for the Russian national team, scoring six goals and helping them win the bronze medal in the Euro championship in 2008.
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Pentagon announces extra $1.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman
A Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is seen at Fort Drum, N.Y., on Aug. 29.
(Pvt. Mason S. Nichols/U.S. Army)
The US Department of Defense has announced an additional $1.1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine.
The extra funds will come under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, meaning the money will be spent on manufacturing and providing new weapons to Ukraine. These weapons will not come directly from current US stocks of weapons.
Eighteen High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and “associated ammunitions,” are included in the package.
The package also includes 150 Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, 40 trucks and 80 trailers to “transport heavy equipment,” and additional radars for Unmanned Aerial Systems, among other items.
The US has committed “more than $16.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine,” since the Russian invasion began in February.
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Ukraine claims Russian mobilization in some regions is sweeping up all men "of a certain age"
From CNN's Tim Lister and Denis Lapin
The Ukrainian military claims that in some parts of Russia, the entire male population within a certain age range is being included in the partial mobilization ordered by President Vladimir Putin last week.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Wednesday that the “so-called partial mobilization measures are ongoing in the Russian Federation and parts of the regions of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia.”
The General Staff claimed that there are some cases of parents with several children and men over age 60 being mobilized for military service.
CNN cannot verify the claims, but Russian commentators and some regional officials in Russia have complained that the mobilization is poorly organized and has included the drafting of men specifically exempted from the decree.
The General Staff also said that “the lack of readiness to implement mobilization measures was noted at assembly points in the Belgorod and Rostov regions,” both of which are close to the Ukrainian border.
“Thus, newly arrived personnel must purchase winter uniforms and protective equipment at their own expense,” it claimed.
CNN has reviewed a number of videos in the past few days showing Russian soldiers complaining about their lack of equipment.
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New EU package of sanctions against Russia will target more than 1,300 people and entities
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite and Sarah Diab in London
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is seen during a meeting at the Kremlin on December 11, 2019.
(Pavel Golovkin/Pool/Reuters)
A new package of sanctions against Russia proposed Wednesday by the European Commission will target more than 1,300 people and entities, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
“This list targets key decision makers, oligarchs, senior military officials and propagandists responsible for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Borrell said during a news conference in Brussels.
According to Borell, the new sanctions will target “those involved in Russia’s occupation and illegal annexation of areas of Ukraine,” including “the proxy Russian authorities in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and other Russian individuals who organized and facilitated the sham referenda in these four occupied territories of Ukraine.”
Borrell said sanctions would include high-ranking officials in the Russian Ministry of Defense — including Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu — and those supporting the Russian Armed Forces by providing military equipment and weapons.
The EU foreign policy chief added that “a lot has been done already” in terms of economic actors but that other non-Russian entities that may be “participating in the circumvention of sanctions” might be targeted too.
Borrell finished by noting that the EU will “extend the geographical scope of the restrictions applying to Crimea, to the Donetsk and Luhansk, that were approved at the beginning of the year. And this will cover all non-governmental control areas of Ukraine, including the oblast of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson which are not part of Donbas and were not part of the previous decisions.”
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US officials say it's unlikely Putin will use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine — but the threat has "elevated"
From CNN's Katie Bo Lillis and Natasha Bertrand
US officials believe that the likelihood Russian President Vladimir Putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon in his struggling war in Ukraine is perhaps the highest it has been since Russia invaded in February — but is still not probable, multiple officials familiar with the latest intelligence tell CNN.
The intelligence community is closely watching for any signs that Putin’s calculus has changed after the Russian President was widely perceived last week to be escalating his past threats to use nuclear weapons.
The threat is certainly “elevated” compared to earlier in the year, according to multiple sources. The United States in recent months has been privately warning Russia not to take such a catastrophic step.
But so far, there are no signs that Russia is imminently planning their use and the “general assessment hasn’t changed,” one source familiar with the intelligence said.
Several US defense officials, who said they see no indication at this time of Russia moving nuclear weapons around, said it’s likely the US could detect movement even of smaller tactical warheads.
More background: Officials have long believed that Putin would only turn to a nuclear weapon if there was a threat to his own position, or if he perceived an existential threat to Russia itself — which he may consider a loss in Ukraine to be.
Some Russian military analysts believe that Putin’s mobilization order may in fact decrease the short-term risk he will turn to a battlefield nuke because it will prolong his ability to sustain the conventional war.
The general sense inside the US government is that the threat is higher than before is based primarily on Putin’s rhetoric and analysis of his mindset amid Russian losses in Ukraine, rather than any hard intelligence that Russia is more seriously weighing the nuclear option, according to two sources familiar with the intelligence.
CNN’s Barbara Starr contributed reporting to this post.
